The National tribune., 1887-01-13
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught By n Study OF the Inter-
national Sunday school Lesson Appointed for

Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
Indicated abovel
SUBJECT: NOAH AND THE ARK.
Noah was the son of Lamech, born when his
father was 152 years old. (5:2s) We know
neither the name of his mother nor wife. His
sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. Is: 32.) The
wife of Noah aud the wives Of his sons were all
alive at the time of the Flood so that the en-
tire family consisted of eight persons. The
name Noah signifies rest, repose, consolation.
%: 29) Many classic stories are based On the
biblical account of the Deluge. Of one have a
classical dictionary, he will find profit in exam
lining it under the names Deucalion, Neptune,
Saturnus, Xisuthrus, Orchamus)
Our lesson is an account Of God appearing to
Noah and instrueting him to build an Ark.
This was in the year 1888 A. NJ. From s: g. s,
g. II, 10, Is. 81. p, %; z: g. we find the date of
the Flood was 1856 A. NJ. But God gave to
Noah the plan of the Ark 120 years before the
Deluge. (6:3; 1 Pet, 3: 20) Now, 1856 minus
120 is 1886. We fixed the date of the murder
of Abel at A. NJ. 129. Hence we in this lesson
pass over ], 407 years. From the former lesson
Noah was $50 years of age when he began the
Ark. Shem was not born till % years later.
(11:10) Japheth was older than Shem 10:21),
but we cannot tell his age. Shem is always
mentioned first as being the founder of the line
from which sprung Gods special people, the
lsraelites. %: 81; 10:1 Ch., 1:4.) Hams
age cannot be stated. In 9:2i he is called
the younger" Chapter 1872, 6, 81, probably
gives the sons Of Noah in the order of their
births. The Flood lasted for one year. G.: IL !;
.: IL, A. We can suppose all three sons Of
Noah comparatively young, since there were
no children. We would also think them not
long married. 1t is quite likely the three were
born during the interval between the order to
build the Ark and its completion. Noah had
no daughters.
1t has been inferred that It required 120
years to construct the boat Chapter 6, v. 8,
gave rise to this impression, and it is the only
proof we have. If it mean that at the close of
100 years God would cease further to delay the
Flood, the case is clear. But many think the
words teach that instead of people after the
Deluge living to be several centuries old, as be-
fore 1T, the average of generation would be
120 years. Chap. 5, V. 81, seems to imply
Noah was 500 years old before ordered to build
the Ark, and u: shows the Flood happened
when he was 900. The Ark was certainly built
in such case within 100 years. Chap. 3. V. 20,
of l Peter implies q long time. As we read
6:9-13, passing on to V. IA, we would think
Noah's three sons were living at the time God
ordered the Ark made. But IL: 10 proves
Shem was only SO at the close of the Flood. If
the three were alive when the Ark was planned
and begun, then it must have been constructed
within 81 years. From 6: Is we would sup
pose Abraham's three sons born and married
when God ordered the Ark to be made.
The Flood lasted solar year. The Hebrews
had lunar months-six months of 80 days each,
and six months of % days each. Chap.7, VII
shows the Flood began on the second month
and 18th day. Hence, we would have left of
the first six months of the year four months
and IA days, equal to 134 days, and also six
months of % days each, equal to ia days.
Then, Chap. 8, V. II, states the Flood ended on
the second month, 9th day, equal to 81 days.
Adding 134, ia and 81, and we have 365 days,
which are solar year.
We are not able to tell the place of residence
of Noah, and hence we do not know where the
Ark was made. 1t was very likely in the vicinity
of the Euphrates and Tigris. When expelled
from Eden, there was doubtless still tendency
to linger in that region. The Garden would in
time lose its special beauty and become like the
country in general. The Tree of Life would
be transferred or become extinct. The Tree of
the knowledge of Good and Evil would lose its
significance. Ultimately the boundaries OF
Paradise would become unknown or tradi-
tional.
1t is wonderful what an impression the Flood
made on Noah's descendants. Shem, Ham and
Japheth told the story to their offspring, and
thusit has been handed down through the GEN.
turtles. 1t is believed that not long after the
Flood the respective families of Shem, Ham
and Japheth separated by reason of the Babel
confusion; and that as q result Shem become
| the startpoint of population in Asia, Japheth
in Europe, and Ham in Africa, carrying with
them the story of the Deluge. Accordingly in
all parts of the world to-day there are accounts
some crude and some quite minute, of the
Great Flood. There is Hindoo legend, which
| enters into many particulars. One is surprised
ut some of the stories told by the American
Indians about the heaps of water, and how
their ancestors escaped by being tied up in
canoes. Francis Lenormant, in Contemporary
Rerietr, Nov, 1879, had an interesting article
| on "The Deluge: Its Traditions in Ancient
Nations" The Chinese insist the correct name
Of Noah was Ah-Boo aud hold he was China
man, whose home was not distant from Pekin
George Smith, of the British Museum, has
furnished US much monumental and other evil
| dence bearing on the Deluge. He made a
| critical examination of the Assyriau tablets IN
| the museum, and furnished translation OF
| their inscriptions The Chaldean name fol
| Noah is Sisit The tablets were prepared as
| far back as the 18th century before Christ. al
Erech, now called Warka. At some time they
were taken to Nineyeh, for they were found
there by Layard in 1919 in the royal palace
These inscriptions state the facts the world was
very wicked, the order from God (Hea) to
Noah (Sisit) to build large boat, its compile
tion and loading, the Flood, the sending from
the Ark Of birds, the landing at length of the
| boat on mountain, etc.
"All" in VS.. Is, II does not include the
eight saved by the Ark, nor the creatures
within it. The time covered by :" is come,
| V. Is, is the interval from the order to erect
| the Ark TO the Flood. Violence" V. 13 means
wickedness. (6:5) "Filled," V. Is, is limited
by the virtues of the eight saved. Destroy"
| V. Is, does not mean annihilate.
| Was the Flood universal? YES" say
Neligan, Jacobus, Crosby. NO." declare Bp
| Stillingaeet, Matthew Poole, DIR. J. Pye Smith
| lie Clerc, Rosenmuller, DIR. McClintOck, ROb't
Patterson, ID. d., Prof. w. @. Scott. In 1856
the last was asked to resign his position in
| Wooster University because he believed the
deluge local. God is economical. He never
uses more. force than necessary. He could
drown the people all through MesoPotamis
| without submerging, 9. g., America. 1t is mo-
| probable the races had separated widely. But
if the Flood were local, the covenant that M
future similar Flood would be experienced
would not be so significant as the promise nd
universal Flood would ever again be brought
| over the earth. There have been many loca
| floods since then more or loss disastrous. Many
| scholars are convinced there are proofs all Owe
| the world that ut some time there was q uni
| versal commingling Of land and water. 1t viii
| be difficult to settle this question. We know
that all the human race then living, exeep
eight persons, were drowned. The Flood wa
effective for its purpose-the extinction of tn,
antediluvians with the exception Of fou
couples.
The Ark was bailt of some kind of pitch,
(resinous) wood, as, e. O., pine, cedar, as is gen
orally held, cypress which is seBIperrirenS, doe
not easily rot and is not liable to be worm
eaten. The Ark was probably more the shap,
| 0f hoy than of n shin 4 SlT foaf